Havana Spoon - Afternoon Tea for Two.

Havana Spoon is one off my favourite places to sneak into whether it's for a lunch date or a catch up with the girls.

Tucked away in the heart of Hove on the West Sussex coast line is Hove's most glamours restaurant, bar and late night lounge, enclosed outside by a small white wooden fence lined with bright green shrubs and exotic looking trees.

I always find my self saying ''shall we go to Havana Spoon for a drink'' as adore the place. The decor, the service, the atmosphere. In mid June when my Facebook news feed loaded with the words ‘New afternoon tea for two menu’I instantly started trying to free up an afternoon in my diary.

I have a huge love for afternoon tea, you get to sit and gossip for hours while tucking into sandwiches followed by scones and an array of cakes. And the best part, your tea pot or champagne flute is topped up at the raise of a hand.

After several weeks of trying to squeeze the girls into my diary so we could experience the new menu and failing too, I woke on a quiet Sunday morning with my beautiful friend Amanda hung over and in need for a bite to eat. After looking at the clock and realising we had missed breakfast and brunch and  not fancying a Sunday lunch, I dropped in the "we could just go for afternoon tea" line. Knowing Amanda’s love for afternoon tea as well as Havana Spoon we found ourselves being presented with this…..

A Tower of soft fresh bagels filled with smoked salmon & cream cheese and Mediterranean vegetables & pesto.

Warm fruit scones accompanied by two small white pots one with cream and one with jam.
Miniature carrot cake.

Small meringue nests topped with freshly whipped cream, strawberries, blackberries and a single leaf of mint.

And my favourite and by no means last to mention, a miniature Chocolate Moelleux still warm and gooey in the middle, showered with icing sugar.

We ate all that we could, gossiped and giggled over the antics of the night before and with our eyes bigger than our tummy's we kindly asked the waitress if we could take home the remaining cakes.

The food was fresh and beautifully presented. The bagels instead of the usual sandwiches were a lovely change and having not only a cold selection of cakes topped the experience.

I highly recommend slipping into see what Havana Spoon have to offer, even if your not an afternoon tea person slip into the lavish bar for a cocktail or sit outside on the lawnned terrace for spot of lunch and don not be put off by the weather as the outdoor heaters means you can dine alfresco come rain or shine.

70-72 Church Road
Hove
BN3 2FP

www.havanaspoon.com

A Girly Get Away. Part 2.

I woke Sunday morning to utter stillness. The sun was pouring in through the gaps in the curtains, a warm breeze softly blowing through and the only noise was that of a Cuckoo. We sat in bed sipping on tea and gossiped some more until our tummies rumbled for breakfast. Craving fresh croissants we hopped out of bed threw on our summer dresses, scraped our hair on top of our heads popping on a splash of lippy as we raced out the front door grabbing the over sized sunglasses and headed out for breakfast. 

We wandered the food quarters in Blue Water eyeing up the fresh bread in Carluccio's, pastries in Café Concerto and yummy cakes at the ButterCup counter. By which point we had past breakfast and our tummy’s were going to need more than a single croissant to fill them.

We headed out onto the terrace of Cote and sat in the mid day sun with breakfast cocktails. Yes they have a specific breakfast cocktail menu, we ordered the Mimosa which was Blanc de Blanc brut with fresh orange juice.

Breakfast cocktail Mimosa.

Amanda ordered the smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and I the breakfast complet, which consisted of a pain au chocolate, yogurt pot and fruit salad. 

Brunch- Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Complet.

Feeling full and hot from the mid day sun and having not expected such lovely weather neither of us had packed bikinis so we headed inside on bikini mission so we could get home to spend the afternoon in the garden with the Sunday papers that were awaiting our return. 

10 minuets later we were heading back to the car each with a small H & M bag, stopping by Boots for the important sun cream and Carluccio’s to pick up food for dinner. 

We lay in the late afternoon sun reading the Sunday papers with a bottle of elderflower until the sun dipped behind the trees and we headed inside with slightly sun kissed skin to prepared dinner. Showered and dressed we pulled up the bar stools and sat down to salad and olive bread followed by dark chocolate and hazel nut brownies, Almond and Blueberry cake and strawberries and cream washed down with a cup of tea. 

Not wanting to really leave but with the evening setting and a 2 hour journey home needing to be made for work the following day I said my goodbyes and  headed for the train station. I sat on platform still with the sun shinning feeling completely relaxed and content. 

It was the best spontaneous weekend away and now as the sun sets on Tuesday were still coming down from the weekend but very much looking forward to the next. 

A huge thank you to Amanda’s lovely grandparents for inviting me to stay for the weekend. 

A Girly Get Away .Part 1.

Its mid Saturday morning and I’m lying in bed with Elle propped up against my pillow a cup of tea in one hand and my phone in the other. I have the weekend off work and pencilled in my diary to see my friend Amanda. I’m at home in Sussex and Amanda’s only made it half way back.

After a quick call I’m showered and dressed with my wardrobe flung open. I grab two outfits one I put on and the other I find myself neatly folding into my oversized handbag along with my pyjamas. My wash bag has my daily essentials thrown in; cleanser, make-up remover, tooth brush, perfume, nail varnish, face cream, hand cream, body butter……It fills the remaining space. With no room for my purse I remove my bank card place it in a clutch throwing my keys, passport and lippy along side it grab the monthly glossy magazines from the coffee table and I’m out my front door walking briskly to the train station. 

A few hours later I’ve travelled out of one city into another, changed trains and spent the last 20 minuets watching the country side passing by my window. Stepping off the train and into the warm afternoon sun I’m meet by the beautiful Amanda.

 Jumping into the car with the windows down, the radio blasting and in need of some retail therapy we head to Blue Water. 

Now I have never been before, I was thinking indoor shopping centre slightly larger scale to usual one in every city, slightly grimly and nothing to glamours but no this was place was amazing!!!! I felt like I was on holiday in the south of France from out of no where, cut into the landscape between the hills is a shopping complex. I've completely fallen in love with this place and cant wait to go back again.

After a couple hours of wandering, we've picked up food for dinner and stocked up on a large selection of Charbonnel et Walker treats. We find our tired feet leading us to the champagne bar in need of a drink before heading into the countryside to Amanda’s grandparents for a girlie night in. 

After a yummy freshly cooked dinner by her grandparents we slipped into our pyjamas and snuggle down in bed with our pudding, chocolate, magazines and a glass of wine. We gossiped the night away until our eyes could stay open no longer and we drifted off to sleep. 

Yummy pudding- Meringue nests topped with strawberries and cream.

 Charbonnel et Walker- Handbag & Heels. 

Part 2 to follow- What do two girls who live for fashion, gossip, magazines, good food and a photo or two get up to on girly Sunday?